Have you done any post processing? If the colours on that last one are completely real, then that was pretty amazing conditions!

In terms of technique I'd say when shooting the sea like this, be very careful with your horizon lines as people can immediately spot with this kind of subject if you're a bit squint.

The first shot is a little off, but it can easily be rotated digitally. I feel I can say this, as I am always getting these kind of shots slightly squint, and have long learned that you can't even use spirit levels for this kind of thing - just go for what looks right in the viewfinder - and hope that the viewfinder is also aligned with the sensor (Rei Velo had an infuriating time there!)

Thanks for the kind words and the advice. The scary part is that I already adjusted the lines on that first one

I always get them a little off, but I have begun to notice that at least I am consistent:
1) I always tilt the right side down
2) I always overcompensate by a couple of degrees by tilting the left side down - argh!

The third one I did color-shifts on, just for fun. I tried to allude to it. Generally speaking I can't help but fuzz with my photos.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with the island of Santorini in Greece, notorious for its sunsets at the city of Oia? I was there in 1994, and those sunsets was spectacular. I can really recommend a trip there if you want to go for really great sunsets.

LahLahSr, I saw a photo a while back on the DIYphotography Flickr group that led me to a site called RebelEos.com and there they have a really nice Hot Shoe level (DIY of course) looks like it would take 10 seconds and make and if you have the stuff lying around the effective cost would be zero dollars. Here the link. Now to tell you what it is, its hot shoe mounted bubble level, which could help keep those sea horizon pictures nice and level.

Or you could build a camera platform with gyroscopic stabilizers yeah.... maybe thats a really long post for another day.

The pictures look fantastic, by the way, and numbers 1 and 3 are my favorites.

Jake

_________________Jake O'Connell, 40D CrewCanon EOS 40D | 28-135mm IS | 50mm f/1.8 |Vivitar DF 383 | Vivitar 285hvMy Flickrmy Blog"Photography isn't so much about the results as it is the collective experience, your interactions with people and with the world"

My eye is drawn to the second one, at first glance, but I am liking number one, now, and the subtle hand on the third photo, really does make it stand out...those sunset colors always make my hair stand up..so gorgeous...can't believe we are so privileged to see them, without leaving our computer room...

What a neat place to be on the face of the earth...snoopin around Vancouver.
Whatcha gonna do today with that camera?

Thank you for your kind words - it was indeed a rather magical day on the water

Gordon - I can't trust my eyes to perfectly level it and I must just be a naturally crooked fellow. Fortunately, Thomas' reminded me of this line-drawing feature and I remembered that this is also in ACDSee. So much easier..thanx Thomas!

Khol - I have travelled Greece a couple of times, but never made it to Santorini. Paros, Ios, Samos..so many fantastic islands in the Aegean and all with impressive sunsets. That was back in my 35mm film days. I'd go there again for the souvlaki, ouzo, retsina and sunsets!! lol!

Jake - very interesting workaround. I'm going to have to look into that one..perhaps attach a single small LED that I can turn on in the dark. That's very clever.

hehe patti..I ain't got none of them pretty cowboys here, and the cowboys - back when I lived in Southern Alberta - weren't nearly the snappy dressers your friends are! So I gotta make do with gulls and water, as you know

Speaking of water - Gerry Point Park allows you to get really close to where the big ships have to go through some narrows. Can be interesting

What you can't see is me nearly soiling my pants as the wake of that big mother hit the rocks I were standing on. I had completely forgot and I was tracking the freighter. Suddenly I heard the water crashing onto the rocks I was standing on. Let's not delve too deep into my humiliation - suffice it to say that 200000 billion-trillion cubic tonnes of a ship creates quite a wake and that my camera is safe....

That's the same ship you can see in the horizon in the second shot, above. btw.

Thats good to know, Lah. Am really glad to hear that you and your trusty Nikon are safe..Last time I got carried away with my camera, it was not pretty, either...at a roping, I ran into a post...on my way to standing in a pen where there were some not so happy bovines...
Had a little black eye for my efforts, and some pretty good shots, once my eye stopped watering...sheesh.
The key here, my friend, is you got another spectacular shot, and from where I am sitting, I can still feel the movement of that ship...